Until We Meet Again
by Raine Ishida
Summary: AU, SasuNaru. Heavy Kleenex warning. How would our relationships change if we knew what the future held? Again, HEAVY Kleenex warning!


Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters. I just borrow them while Kishi's on hiatus, which, coincidentally, is right now.

Note: **Severe** Kleenex alert for this story.

Note2: This is **sort of **taken from This Is My Destiny, but you don't have to read that one first. This is AU, Naruto and Sasuke are married, Tenten and Gaara are either married or getting married soon (I haven't decided), and…yeah. That's about all that's necessary. Oh. Sasuke's a lot softer to Naruto these days. Not so much of a jerk anymore.

**Until We Meet Again**

By Raine Ishida

Sasuke woke when Naruto stirred, sighing and tightening his arm around Sasuke's thin waist.

The blond's hair tickled his chin and Sasuke smiled faintly as he turned to glance at the clock. He smirked again and shook Naruto lightly. "Hey. Time to get up, dobe."

A groan sounded and Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's chest. "No, go away."

"Don't you have to work soon?"

Naruto lifted his face so it was buried in Sasuke's neck. "What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty. Don't you work at nine?" Sasuke asked softly, putting a hand on the arm draped across his middle.

Naruto groaned again. "I'm already late then; what's the point of getting up now?" He planted a soft kiss on Sasuke's neck. "I'm staying here."

Sasuke chuckled. "But I'm getting up soon anyway."

"Call in sick today," the blond murmured. "We'll stay here and do nothing."

"Get up, dobe. You still have to have a shower."

"No, I don't," Naruto protested. "I'll skip it."

"But you stink," Sasuke said.

"No," Naruto argued. "I smell like you."

Sasuke smirked, recalling last night. "As you should. But you're already late for work. At least call them and tell them you'll be late."

"Or I could call and tell them I'm not coming in at all," Naruto said softly, his eyes still closed as he cuddled deeper against Sasuke's side.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around Naruto and smiled. "Then how would you eat? We'd have no money."

Naruto opened his eyes and grinned, kissing Sasuke on the nose. "You dummy. We never have money."

"You're right. So what's the verdict? You staying? I'm getting up in fifteen minutes."

"Perfect amount of snuggle time," Naruto said, using his leg to trap Sasuke's legs. "So don't even think about getting up any earlier."

"I won't be blamed for your lateness," Sasuke said with a smirk, settling his face into Naruto's hair, closing his eyes.

Naruto just gave a 'hmm' of a response and said nothing more.

When Sasuke's alarm rang at quarter to nine, he rose, kissing Naruto lightly before heading to the bathroom to change and get ready for his day.

Naruto stayed in bed and watched Sasuke do his hair, the blond smiling all the while.

Sasuke caught his gaze from the mirror. "What are you grinning at?"

"You," Naruto replied simply. He drew back the covers and walked into the bathroom. Drawing his arms around Sasuke's waist, he kissed the side of his neck. "I just love you sometimes."

"Only sometimes?"

"Yep," he replied with a grin. Sasuke shook his head.

"You're a big liar."

"Yep," Naruto repeated. Sasuke ruffled the blond's hair and headed to the kitchen to throw together a quick lunch and some coffee.

"Want coffee?" he called, pouring Naruto a cup anyway.

Naruto emerged from the room, not thirty seconds later, fully dressed and ready for work.

Sasuke just chuckled as Naruto winked and took the coffee from him.

"Thanks babe."

"Whatever," Sasuke replied as he put a sandwich and an apple into a plastic bag for his lunch.

"So. Plans tonight?" Naruto asked lightly, taking a healthy swig of coffee.

Sasuke rummaged through the fridge. "We need milk. Can you get some on the way home?"

"Sure!" the blond replied. "Anything else?"

"No, I think we're good." Closing the fridge, Sasuke stood and started to tie his tie. Before his hands had even made the first loop, Naruto was standing before him, two inches shorter, his hands on the tie.

"Let me do it."

Sasuke smiled faintly as he watched the blond concentrate. Sasuke had recently taught him how to tie a tie, and now Naruto was convinced he could do it better than Sasuke ever could. Sasuke just watched him silently as he parted his lips in concentration, his front teeth coming together as he furrowed his brow ever-so-slightly.

"Perfect," he announced when it was complete.

Sasuke surveyed the tie and agreed. "Nice work, dobe."

Naruto grinned and followed Sasuke to the door while he put his shoes on.

"See you tonight," Sasuke said, pulling his coat on. Naruto smiled, putting his hands lightly on Sasuke's chest to lean up for his goodbye kiss.

Sasuke gave him his kiss happily this morning, tilting his chin with his free hand.

"Bye," Naruto said dreamily. "I love you."

"Bye, Naru. Love you too."

"Really?" Naruto asked with a smile. Sasuke nodded.

"Yeah."

"Good."

"It is," Sasuke replied, kissing Naruto once more, softly, before opening the door. "Now I have to go or I'll be late."

"See you," Naruto said as Sasuke walked down the hall.

When Sasuke turned around halfway down the hall, Naruto was still in the doorway, watching him.

He couldn't help his grin. Nor the butterflies in his stomach.

_When someone said count your blessings now_

'_Fore they're long gone_

_I guess I just didn't know how_

_I was all wrong_

_But they knew better_

_Still you said forever_

_And ever_

_Who knew_

…

When Naruto didn't return home that night, Sasuke wasn't completely put off. Sometimes Naruto would stop at Gaara's on the way home to see how Tenten was doing, or just to catch up in general.

When ten rolled by, and then eleven, he became worried and dialled Naruto's cell phone. No answer.

When the police arrived at Sasuke's door an hour later, his heart broke.

"Son, you should probably sit down for this."

Sasuke sat. "Where is he?" he whispered.

The officer who had spoken first, a man with a clean-shaven face, held his hat in his hands and fiddled with it.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Uchiha, but I'm afraid…"

"He's dead," Sasuke breathed. "He's dead, isn't he?"

The clean-shaven officer sighed heavily. "He was struck by a drunk driver while he was walking down the street from his workplace. I'm sorry, but he was pronounced dead at the scene from internal injuries."

Sasuke couldn't see anything. After the words 'pronounced dead', his ears started ringing and he couldn't hear anymore.

"He's at the hospital, Mr. Uchiha, if you'd like to come with us to say your goodbyes."

They led him most of the way, because Sasuke could barely focus on his own to put his shoes on. Locking the door behind him was a struggle. All he could hear in his head was Naruto's laughter.

"_Come on, call in sick today! We'll stay here together and do nothing."_

Why hadn't he just taken Naruto's suggestion? They'd both be still in bed, maybe doing something by this time, but still, enjoying each others' company.

_"What's for dinner?"_

_He's a moron,_ Sasuke thought. _Always hungry… But now I don't have to feed him. He won't be there when I go to bed tonight…will he?_

Sasuke couldn't really comprehend what was happening until the officers led him down to the morgue at the hospital.

"Pronounced dead at the scene" came up again, but Sasuke scarcely heard it. His focus was on the body lying under the sheet. The coroner stepped forward, offered his name, and Sasuke shook the outstretched hand without realizing it.

"Mr. Uchiha?" the coroner prodded gently. Sasuke shook his head, startled.

"What?"

"Would you like to see him now?"

Sasuke looked at the sheet. "He's really under there…?" His voice fell to a whisper. "This has to be one of his stupidest jokes ever. I'll kill him for it, I really will," he breathed, his throat closing as the coroner pulled back the sheet to expose the face and shoulders of the decedent.

Blond hair was matted, dirty and stained with blood, bits of glass and dirt strewn throughout. His skin was scraped, leaving road burn all down the side of his face. Gashes lined his forehead and cheeks, his eyes closed and his eyelashes brushing his scraped cheeks.

"He's broken a lot of bones. We suspect he died right away, so there was probably very minimal pain, but I can't tell until I do the autopsy."

Sasuke only heard half of it. "Could you….give us a minute?" he asked quietly, interrupting the coroner.

The police and the coroner nodded and left the room, the only present sound being the buzzing of the fluorescent lights ahead.

Sasuke brushed his fingertips against Naruto's cheek lightly and drew in a breath. "This isn't real, is it?? Is this…really happening? Are you really…" He wouldn't say the word. He didn't want to admit it. He refused to. This was a cruel joke. Naruto had to be playing with him, he couldn't be dead.

Sasuke's fingers found Naruto's neck and searched vehemently, prodding for a pulse that was not there.

"I…still smell like you," Sasuke whispered, brushing his fingers through Naruto's dirty hair.

The silence was overwhelming. "You're so quiet," Sasuke said.

When would grief consume him like a flood? He knew it would come eventually. But…would it come at all? Would he…live past this moment?

"Naruto, wake up. Stop being a moron." More silence followed as Sasuke studied Naruto's closed eyes, his lips slightly parted.

Less than twenty four hours had passed since he'd kissed those lips when they were still warm.

Sasuke's fingertips confirmed the fact that they were now cold. Naruto wasn't breathing. He wasn't warm, he wasn't smiling, he wasn't laughing or calling Sasuke a meanie-head for insulting him again.

"Oh dobe," Sasuke breathed, his throat closing suddenly and a strange gasping sob sounded. "How could you leave me? Don't you know I'm lost without you?"

Sasuke thought about their apartment and all of Naruto's little touches here and there around the house.

"How am I going to go back there without you with me? I can't…sleep in that bed."

Sasuke's eyes were burning. "…Take me with you," he whispered, leaning close to whisper into Naruto's ear. "I love you, dobe. Please, take me with you… I don't want to be alone."

The coroner walked back in and brushed his hand lightly against Sasuke's back.

"Mr. Uchiha," he said gently. "Here are his belongings."

Sasuke then noticed the lack of wedding ring on Naruto's left hand. It was in the bag. He took the bag from the coroner, nodded faintly and pulled the ring from the bag, slipping it onto his opposite hand.

"You said forever," he said softly, drawing up his courage and kissing Naruto's forehead. "What happened to that promise?" Tucking the bag into his jacket pocket, he looked over Naruto's face, neck and shoulders once more, knowing that the rest of him, most likely mangled, covered by the white sheet, was known to him, yet never to be felt again, and sighed.

"Come on, Mr. Uchiha. Let's go," the coroner said softly.

Sasuke smiled faintly at the dead body of his husband, his existence, his reason to wake in the morning, and withdrew his hand to his side.

"…I'll see you soon."

_That last kiss I'll cherish_

_Until we meet again_

_And time makes it harder_

_I wish I could remember_

_But I keep your memory_

_You visit me in my sleep_

_My darlin' who knew_

Sasuke didn't sleep until the funeral. It was reasonably small because he hadn't wanted a crowd. Closed casket, sweet cemetery with white flowers on the tombstone.

Gaara cried openly, as he had when he'd found out about Naruto's death. Tenten, visibly pregnant, cried silently, holding tightly to Gaara's hand as his other was covering his face while he sobbed.

Sasuke looked around at his friends, his family through Naruto, his eyes dry, his heart heavy. He'd done his share of crying. He'd taken bereavement leave. He'd tried to study. But every time he opened a text book Naruto's voice entered his head and told him to spend time with him instead.

That night, alone in the bed that had seen them through so many fights, so many make-ups, so much sleep, so much laughter, love and passion, Sasuke cried for the last time as he held Naruto's pillow against his chest, begging for the blond to walk through the door as if it had all been a joke.

Glancing at his two wedding rings, one of them belonging to his husband who was now in the ground, Sasuke drew in a deep, shuddering breath, wiped his tears and buried his face in Naruto's pillow, inhaling his deceased husband's scent.

Sasuke closed his eyes and let out his held breath, dropping into sleep.

He didn't wake up.

…

End.

**Note: **I bawled my head off writing this, and then proofing it after. And then after fixing the typos, I cried some more. And listened to Pink's 'Who Knew', which is the little song blurb from above.

I just want you as a reader to be aware of how short our lives are. As I wrote this, I was continually reminded that we aren't guaranteed tomorrow, so we must enjoy what we're given today. If you have someone you cherish, make sure they know. Tell your family that you love them. They might not come home tonight. Take whom you value and love them with all your soul. Because you might not get another chance.

Thanks for reading.

**This Is My Destiny readers: **This isn't how the story ends. It's a way it COULD have ended. It's just…one version of an ending. Doesn't mean it's the final ending. Don't be too upset, okay?


End file.
